Smoking is a bad habit that is known to cause significant damage to the body. Tobacco smoke disrupts the functionality of the respiratory system, and more than 70% of smokers suffer from chronic cough. People who decide to overcome addiction hope that they will immediately get rid of all the consequences of smoking, but the cough after quitting smoking in most cases does not disappear, but intensifies. How to deal with a cough for ex-smokers and whether treatment is needed - we will discuss in this article.
Why cough occurs after smoking cessation
When smoking a cigarette, tobacco smoke enters the lungs, which is poisonous in its content. It contains chemicals, resins, dust and other toxic components. Gradually, a large number of them accumulate in the lung tissue.
Cough when you stop smoking is a protective reaction aimed at cleansing the body of harmful substances. In a healthy person such a reaction is always manifested, but in smokers this process is blocked under the influence of inhaled cigarette smoke.
Note! Epithelial cilia are located on the tissues of the upper respiratory tract, which, when pathological particles penetrate, cause coughing and thus prevent poisoning of the organism.
Cough on smoking cessation occurs due to the restoration of the functionality of the bronchial cilia. In the first period after quitting smoking, many people begin to suffer from severe bouts of coughing. This process is considered natural because addiction leads to inflammatory processes on the mucosa. As a result, sputum forms in the bronchi, and toxins can affect lung tissue. The organs of the respiratory system clean themselves on the moment of coughing.
How long does a cough last after quitting?
Respiratory disorders have been observed in most people who have recently stopped smoking. In rare cases, such manifestations do not occur. Cough as a rule does not bother people who smoked extremely infrequently or had little experience.
But how long a cough can last in ex-smokers depends on many factors:
- duration of the smoking period;
- number of smoke breaks per day (number of cigarettes smoked per day);
- the presence of concomitant diseases;
- degree of influence of tobacco smoke;
- patient age;
- possessing other bad habits.
There are no exact data on what the nature of the cough should be after smoking cessation and how long this period lasts. Recovery happens differently and individually for everyone.
According to statistics, if breathing problems occur after a person has stopped smoking, then after 1 to 3 months the respiratory system is completely restored. However, if the experience of smoking has been longer than 10 years, the problem can become chronic.
Normally, even with a strong cough, after 2-3 weeks, improvements should be noticed in the form of a decrease in the intensity and frequency of attacks. If after a month the situation does not change, it is necessary to visit a doctor.
Types of cough after smoking cessation
Great importance is attached to the nature of cough in people who have given up cigarettes. Pathological symptoms may indicate complications that occurred after smoking.
The nature of the cough that manifests itself after giving up a bad habit, according to medical data:
- wet;
- dry;
- with secrets.
Damp cough is a reflex rejection of purulent mucus (sputum) that has accumulated in the lungs or airways. There may be very little sputum or, conversely, mucus is secreted in large quantities, which causes strong and frequent coughing fits. But expectoration with sputum production is considered normal.
Suspicion of a pathological process in the respiratory organs during the recovery period after quitting cigarettes causes a dry cough. Difficulties with sputum secretion occur when the activity of ciliated fibers is lost, as well as bronchial diseases accompanied by edema.
Dry cough when smoking cessation should be treated with medication. Lack of therapeutic help can lead to complications: intoxication, spastic shortness of breath, creation of toxins in the lungs, etc.
The biggest danger for ex-smokers is expectoration "with impurities". If brown or black mucus or blood is released at the time of expectoration, along with sputum, an urgent visit to a doctor is required.
Pathological discharge may indicate severe lesions of the walls of the bronchi, lung tissue, and trachea. Tobacco smoke can cause airway burns that do not heal due to the constant influx of toxins, resulting in an infection that can spread quickly to the damaged areas.
Bitan! Smoking can cause life-threatening respiratory diseases (tuberculosis, cancer, cirrhosis and others). As nicotine enters the body, the symptoms become dull, but as soon as a person decides to give up the habit, the pathology begins to manifest intensely.
What to do first - how to alleviate the condition
For people for whom smoking has been a daily habit for a long time, giving up cigarettes seems impossible, but if a person decides to do so, then he must endure a difficult period of recovery.
The most difficult is the psychological desire that few people deal with. The condition is aggravated by coughing fits. Many smokers know that if you "pull" again, your breath will recover. However, there are other ways to alleviate the condition. To do this, use medicines or folk remedies.
Therapeutic approach
Constant bouts of coughing cause serious breathing problems and can interfere with a person's life. To alleviate the condition of smokers, it is recommended to take drugs that have expectorant and sedative effect.
Note! After giving up cigarettes, the use of cough medicines is not recommended, their use can cause lung abscesses.
In most cases, when the patient stops smoking, in order to facilitate the removal of sputum, he prescribes preparations of the mucolytic group.
You can speed up the cleansing of the body from toxins by taking enterosorbents.
Depending on the characteristics of the cough and the presence of possible diseases of the respiratory system, antihistamines, immunomodulators and antibiotics may be prescribed.
Folk methods
Treatment of respiratory disorders that plague after prolonged smoking cessation can be supplemented with folk remedies. The use of alternative medicine methods should be carried out only with the consent of a specialist and after confirmation of the absence of an allergic reaction that can lead to anaphylactic shock and swelling of the respiratory system.
You can reduce the frequency and intensity of coughing if you use folk remedies:
- Milk. You can add a teaspoon of honey or soda to the heated milk. Drink three times a day.
- Onion syrup. Grate a medium-sized onion (finely) and mix with two cups of sugar. The drug must be insisted for at least three hours. After - put on low heat until the mixture takes on the state of syrup. Take one teaspoon during the day with an interval of three hours.
- Propolis eggnog. The yolks are ground with honey and mashed. 2 drops of liquid propolis are added to the mixture. Close the lid in a small jar and place in the refrigerator. Drink 10 ml. twice a day.
- Herbal decoctions. Chamomile, St. John's wort, sage or wild rosemary are suitable. A tablespoon of ground grass is steamed with 0, 5 liters. boiling water. Insist for about half an hour, then filter. Drink three to four times a day per cup of tea.
- Decoction of birch. Crushed birch buds (1 tbsp. L) are placed in melted butter (100 g. ). Transfer to a saucepan and simmer for 30-40 minutes. After cooling add honey. Take 10 gr. funds twice a day.
Do not abuse traditional medicine, self-medicate or refuse medications. Folk remedies have an ancillary effect and may not be effective enough in severe pathological processes.
When to see a doctor
After quitting cigarettes, even a person who smokes for a short time can have serious health problems.
It is necessary to consult a doctor if the following symptoms start to bother you:
- coughing fits are too common and cause severe chest pain;
- sputum discharge is accompanied by the release of blood or clots of dark mucus;
- when breathing, whistling and whistling are heard;
- shortness of breath occurs;
- with deep breaths, there is a sharp unbearable pain in the chest;
- there is a general weakness of the organism.
Any pathological manifestations in the health condition are a signal to visit a specialist. It is advisable to take immediate measures to recover from smoking, as the consequences of smoking can be very serious.
Conclusion
A cough can start to bother smokers while smoking and become a signal that bad habits need to be resolved. After giving up cigarettes, coughing fits may intensify, however, this recovery period should be endured. In most cases, the condition returns to normal after 2 to 3 weeks. For complete recovery, of course, it takes more time, but the main phase of cleansing the body will already be completed.
After smoking cessation, experts recommend going to a medical facility to consult a doctor and make a diagnosis to determine if there are complications of addiction, and if indicated, undergo the necessary treatment.